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New era of Penn State football
Penn State football has its next coach. Read more about Matt Campbell and what he’ll bring to the Nittany Lions.
Penn State has found its next head coach.
After a process that lasted 54 days, the Nittany Lions are set to hire Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, according to a source.
His contract with Penn State will be an eight-year deal, according to the source.
Campbell was at Iowa State for the last 10 seasons compiling a 72-55 record in that time, while having five 8+ win seasons. The Cyclones have had only 10 seasons with at least eight wins since 1907.
Prior to his time there, Campbell spent just over four seasons at Toledo, going 35-15 and earning nine wins three times in that span. He was promoted to the job after he was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2010 and 2011.
He led the Cyclones to an 8-4 record this season.
Campbell was hired after a process that began on Oct. 12 when the Nittany Lions and athletic director Pat Kraft fired former head coach James Franklin. Franklin spent 11+ years with the program and went 104-45 in that time, reaching the College Football Playoff once and winning the Big Ten once.
Penn State’s search took many twists and turns, with the program getting down the road with their top target at the time, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, before he decided to stay with the Cougars and several other candidates bowing out of the process.
Head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones calls a play during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 8, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. Ron Jenkins Getty Images
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 6:53 PM.
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Jon Sauber
Centre Daily Times
Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.
